I have never owned a gun, but have shot occasionally here and there on a shooting range. I understand the basics of gun safety and can get around the day-to-day of gun ownership. My wife and I are thinking about doing a full on safety training + CC so that both can use this gun we are purchasing in case anything happens.
I have been eyeing a few guns here and there, but wanted to get your thoughts on what would you recommend in my situation:
- At least 12 bullets per mag as stock mag
- Lowest recoil possible
- Compact enough without it being an issue on accuracy (need something that is big enough to be accurate but small enough that I can CC from time to time, very occasionally)
- Easy enough for my wife to handle. She's not into guns, but probably something that would throw her off is a lot of recoil
- Comfortable grip
The guns that I have tested up until now:
- Glock 19 Gen 5
- S&W M&P M2.0
Guns I am still considering:
- Sig Sauer P320
- Sig Sauer P365 XL
Any thoughts?
I ended up going with a P320 Xcarry for a lot of these reasons. I do really like it, but I’ll admit it’s a little big for CC. Not entirely untenable, but it does print some if I’m in a t-shirt (using a Vedder IWB holster). The P365 would’ve helped that I think, but it felt a little too small in my hands. If you aren’t carrying regularly, the grip comfort might be worth the larger size - and you do get 17 rounds in the 320 vs 12 in the 365.
If you go Sig, I would also make sure you handle something with the X series grips like the P365XL, and something with the Xcarry series grips (any of the Xcarry or Spectre versions) - I found the latter to be a lot grippier.
The Sig xray sights are pretty nice too if you aren’t planning on a red dot, there’s a little glow in the dark dot in the center of the sight that somehow always seems to glow, even fresh out of a drawer.
I’m admittedly a pretty big fan of Sig, so I won’t try to contrast to the other options.
I think Sigs are great. I have tried just a few and it's always one of my top choices. I think I am down to those 3 G19, S&W M&P 2.0 and the P365XL. Probably will have to rent them all, shoot them one by one and then decide on whats the best one for me.
In terms of CC, I am barely gonna CC. just occasionally at best, so although size is a component for me (I won't get a huge gun and try to conceal it), it's definitely not the priority here (low recoil, accuracy) are definitely more important for me as this will be a "shared" gun with my wife until I can convince her to get her own LOL.
Thank you for the advice!